Selection of variables in a prospective study of young men at high risk for alcoholism

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Abstract
The Danish adoption studies on alcoholism have established a considerable genetic factor in the development of alcoholism.The basis for the present prospective high risk study is a consecutive birth cohort born 1959–1961 in Copenhagen (n= 9,000). The extensive pre‐and perinatal data include information about admissions in psychiatric departments for all 18,000 parents.We have selected 250 boys, who have a parent treated for alcoholism (high risk group). They have been matched with boys from the same birth cohort, whose parents have not been registered as alcoholics (low risk group).The boys are just entering the age of risk for development of alcoholism, and no abnormalities found at the present time can be described as consequences of heavy drinking.The study is multidisciplinary in its approach, and we have selected neurophysiological, psychophysiological, neuropsychological, metabolic, psychiatric, psychological and social variables to test the most solid hypotheses about alcoholism. The hypotheses and variables are described in this paper.In 10–15 years, when all severe cases of alcoholism will have manifested themselves, we will go back to the 1979 data and see which constellation of variables was most predictive.

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